Two Short Reviews for Short Story Books
CHANCES by Norman Cooper is the second slimmest book I've
ever purchased, but in its scant 22 pages are one okay, three very good and one
excellent stories. (You'll have to figure out which is which on your own.) They
are soulful looks inside characters' lives at critical junctures in their
circumstances where life altering chances need to be taken or not taken. It's
flash fiction, and I have to keep reminding myself of that. And yet, I feel
some of the stories needed to have had the pixie dust of phrases, turns, and
pithy lines sprinkled on them to enhance the reading experience to its fullest.
I envision great things from Cooper once the knife blade is sharpened to the
fullest extent. Here's your chance at an early preview of his writing in a
4-star flash-fiction book.
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BROKEN ABROAD by Rasmenia Massoud is a book of nine well-played
journeys of people abroad, searching for themselves or meaning to their
existence. It is an overlooked 5-star gem of a book that digs deep into each of
the main characters, and then digs a bit more as the author mines for what is
the root of each person's existence and what they are trying to resolve. Unlike
other deeply introspective short story writers whose stories or characters too
often end up without fulfillment, creating a downward spiral look at life,
Rasmenia has some stories that provide a hopefulness at the end of the life
search being analyzed. To be sure there is heartbreak, but there is an
embracement of our differences in most stories that, while even in tragedy,
provide a hopeful boost for the human spirit. For short story readers, this is
a book that should be read.
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